This has been a long time coming — the
project was first founded by Bertrand Piccard and André
Borschberg in 2003. It is estimated to have cost about $100 million
to create. Today, it is supported by a handful of major
corporations, including Deutsche Bank, Bayer, and Schindler.

The flight

The single-seat carrier was piloted by Piccard
(Borschberg flew the plane’s last leg, which went from
Switzerland to Spain). It took off from Madrid-Barajas airport
around 5:30 in the morning and then flew non-stop across the
countryside and Mediterranean Sea before landing in Rabat, Morocco
at the Rabat-Salé international airport at 11:30 in the
evening.

That translates to 19 hours and 8 minutes of
flight time, and a total distance traveled of 515 miles.

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that when
the plane landed, it did so with a full set of batteries.
“This is extraordinary, as it represents an increase in
confidence in new technologies,” said Borschberg.

This flight marks the first time that the plane
landed on another continent. It was also the first time that
Piccard piloted the plane. “It was perhaps the most
beautiful flight of my life. I have dreamed since I was a child of
flying without using fuel,” said a very joyful Piccard,
who comes from a family of adventurers, and who has already flown
around the world in a balloon.

Back in July 2010, the duo made history when the
Solar Impulse became the first manned solar plane to complete a
26-hour nonstop flight. Particularly noteworthy was that it proved
the sun’s energy was enough to keep the plane in the air,
even at night.

Video of landing

Check out the Solar Impulse in flight and its
landing in Morocco. Make sure to put the sound on —
it’s amazing to hear how quiet the plane is.

Interactive experience

During the course of the flight, fans were able
to follow the plane’s flight progress via a virtual
Mission Control Center on the Solar Impulse website, which included
the plane’s battery status, altitude, and speed.

Piccard also posted live updates via Twitter
(@bertrandpiccard). In one of the tweets, he described the
“great feeling” he had of gliding across
southern European skies with solar-powered engines.

Bertrand Piccard’s Twitter
account.

Landing in Morocco

According to Piccard, Morocco’s
ambitious solar energy plans were the reason why they chose to land
in the country.

“We came here out of admiration for
Morocco’s pioneering solar energy program,” he
said.

In 2009, Morocco announced a plan to build five
solar energy plants that, altogether, will have a capacity of 2,000
MW. The country hopes to have the project completed by 2020.
Construction of the first plant, which will be situated in
Ouarzazate at the edge of the Sahara Desert, will start this
month.

Outlook

Right now, Solar Impulse can only fly in perfect
weather. It has gotten as high as 28,000 feet and reached speeds
over 75 mph (its cruising speed is approximately 35 to 40 mph).

This most recent mission is being described as a
final dress rehearsal before the team’s planned
round-the-world flight, set to take place with a new-and-improved
plane in 2014. It will have a total of five stops during the flight
itself.

The goal with Solar Impulse isn’t
necessarily meant to one day replace conventional air travel;
rather, Piccard and Borschberg are hoping to demonstrate what is
possible with solar energy. “All of the technology on
this plane can be used in daily life,” Piccard said.